SOME HISTORICAL ASTRONOMICAL POSTS
IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND

Bryn Jones

Introduction

This page lists the people who held various historic astronomical posts in Britain and Ireland. The emphasis is on state, observatory and university postions to the end of the nineteenth century, but the lists have been continued to the present date for the sake of completeness in some of these cases. As such, many important university positions created in the twentieth century are not included; for example the Perren chair at University College London or the Napier chair at St. Andrews.

Positions in private observatories are not included. There are many instances of wealthy patrons establishing their own observatories and employing staff to perform observations. It is on that basis that there is no mention here of, for example, the observatory of the Earls of Rosse at Birr in the Irish Midlands or that of the Earl of Crawford at Dun Echt near Aberdeen.

Posts associated with the Royal Greenwich Observatory

The Royal Greenwich Observatory employed a very large number of people from its foundation in 1675 to its closure in 1998, firstly at Greenwich, later at Herstmonceux in Sussex, and then in the 1980s and 1990s at Cambridge. The most significant posts were those of the Astronomer Royal, later the Director, the Chief Assistants, and assistants.

Astronomer Royal, 1675-1971

The title Astronomer Royal was given to the director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory until 1971. From 1972 the title was an honorary position not associated with the Royal Observatory. The term Astronomer Royal for England is sometimes used distinguish the title from that of the Astronomer Royal for Scotland or the historic title of Royal Astronomer for Ireland (or "Astronomer Royal for Ireland"), but this title is informal.

Holder of office Dates in office

Rev. John Flamsteed, FRS (1646-1719) 1675-1719

Dr Edmund Halley, FRS (1656-1742) 1720-1742

Rev. James Bradley, FRS (1692-1762) 1742-1762

Rev. Nathaniel Bliss, FRS (1700-1764) 1762-1764

Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, FRS (1732-1811) 1765-1811

John Pond, FRS (1767-1836) 1811-1835

Sir George Biddell Airy, FRS (1801-1892) 1835-1881

Sir William Henry Mahoney Christie, FRS (1845-1922) 1881-1910

Sir Frank Watson Dyson, FRS, FRSE (1868-1939) 1910-1933

Sir Harold Spencer Jones, FRS (1890-1960) 1933-1955

Sir Richard van der Riet Woolley, FRS (1906-1986) 1956-1971

See below for a list of holders of the honorary title Astronomer Royal after 1971.

Reference sources:
E. G. Forbes, Greenwich Observatory, Volume 1: Origins and Early History (1675-1835), publ. Taylor & Francis, London, 1975.
A. J. Meadows, Greenwich Observatory, Volume 2: Recent History (1836-1975), publ. Taylor & Francis, London, 1975, Appendix 1.
W. H. McCrea, The Royal Greenwich Observatory, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1975.
Individual entries for all incumbents in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
H. P. Hollis, The Observatory, vol. 22, no. 284, pp. 353-358, 1899 (ADS scan).
M. Wilson, Ninth Astronomer Royal: The Life of Frank Watson Dyson, publ. W. Heffer & sons Ltd., Cambridge, 1951.

Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory: 1972-1998

The Astronomer Royal held the directorship of the Royal Observatory until 1971. The executive head of the Royal Greenwich Observatory had the title Director from 1972 until the observatory was closed by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council in 1998. For completeness, the holders of this post are listed here.

Holder of office Dates in office

Eleanor Margaret Burbidge 1972-1973

Alan Hunter (1912-1995) 1973-1975

Francis Graham Smith 1976-1981

Alexander Boksenberg 1981-1995

Jasper Wall 1995-1998

Chief Assistant

The position of Chief Assistant became a very important post in British astronomy in the late nineteenth century. It was held by a number of distinguished scientists, some of whom moved to even more prestigious positions.

Holder of office Dates in office

Rev. Robert Main, FRS (1808-1878) 1835-1860 (as senior assistant)

Edward James Stone, FRS (1831-1897) 1860-1870

William H. M. Christie (1845-1922) 1870-1881

Edwin Dunkin, FRS (1821-1898) 1881-1884

Herbert Hall Turner, FRS (1861-1930) 1884-1893

Frank Watson Dyson (1868-1939) 1894-1905

Philip Herbert Cowell, FRS (1870-1949) 1896-1910

Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-1944) 1906-1913

Sydney Chapman (1888-1979) 1910-1914,1916-1918
Harold Spencer Jones (1890-1960) 1913-1923

John Jackson (1887-1958) 1914-1933 (released for war work 1917-1919)

William Michael Herbert Greaves, FRSE (1897-1955) 1924-1938

Richard v. d. R. Woolley (1906-1986) 1933-1937

Donald Harry Sadler (1908-1987) 1936-1937

Robert d'Escourt Atkinson (1898-1982) 1937-1964 (released for war work 1940-1946)

Henry Rainsford Hulme (1908-1991) 1938-1945 (released for war work 1940-1945)

Thomas Gold (1920-2004) 1952-1956

Olin J. Eggen (1919-1998) 1956-1961,1965-1965

Alan Hunter (1912-1995) 1961-1967

[This list may not be exhaustive for the later twentieth century.]

Reference sources:
A. J. Meadows, Greenwich Observatory, Volume 2: Recent History (1836-1975), publ. Taylor & Francis, London, 1975, Appendix 1.
W. H. McCrea, The Royal Greenwich Observatory, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1975.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Main, Stone, Christie, Dunkin, Turner, Dyson, Cowell, Eddington, Chapman, Spencer Jones, Jackson, Greaves, Woolley, Sadler).
H. P. Hollis, The Observatory, vol. 48, no. 619, pp. 388-398, 1926 (ADS scan). (The article gives fuller information of Assistants between 1675 and c.1880.)
H. P. Hollis, The Observatory, vol. 49, no. 630, pp. 330-333, 1926 (ADS scan).
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
M. Wilson, Ninth Astronomer Royal: The Life of Frank Watson Dyson, publ. W. Heffer & sons Ltd., Cambridge, 1951.
A. V. Douglas, The Life of Arthur Stanley Eddington, publ. Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd., 1956.
Obituaries of Dunkin, M.N.R.A.S, 59, 221, 1899; The Observatory, 22, 49, 1899.
Obituary of D. H. Sadler, Q.J.R.A.S., 32, 59, 1991 (by G. A. Wilkins).
Obituary of R. d'E. Atkinson, Q.J.R.A.S., 25, 100, 1984.
Obituary of H. R. Hulme, Q.J.R.A.S., 32, 313, 1991.
Obituary of A. Hunter, Q.J.R.A.S., 37, 457, 1996.
Obituary of O. J. Eggen, P.A.S.P., 113, 131, 2001.

Assistant / Other Positions

A middle-ranking post at the Royal Greenwich Observatory during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was that of Assistant. This was beneath the rank of Chief Assistant. Some of the more prominent Assistants are listed here, but this is intentionally a very incomplete list.

Holder of office Dates in office

Abraham Sharp (c.1653-1742) 1684-1685,1688-1690 Occasional assistant to Flamsteed

James Hodgson (c.1678-1755) 1695-1702 Assistant to Flamsteed

Charles Mason (1728-1786) 1756-1760 Assistant

Charles Green (1734-1771) 1760-1765 Assistant, later astronomer on James Cook's transit expedition to Tahiti

John Brinkley (1766/1767-1835) 1787-1788 Assistant

William Richardson (c.1796-?) 1824-1845 Assistant; forced to resign post as the result of a scandal; later stood trial for murder, but acquitted

James Glaisher, FRS (1809-1903) 1835-1874 Assistant; authority on meteorology

John Russell Hind (1823-1895) 1840-1844 Assistant

Edwin Dunkin, FRS (1821-1898) c.1845-1881 Assistant

William Thynne Lynn (1835-1911) 1856-1880 Assistant

Arthur Matthew Weld Downing (1850-1917) 1873-1891 Assistant

Edward Walter Maunder (1851-1928) 1873-1913 Assistant

Thomas Lewis (1856-1927) 1881-1917 Assistant

Henry Park Hollis (1858-1939) 1881-1920 Assistant

Andrew C. D. Crommelin (1865-1939) 1891-1927 Assistant

Philibert Jacques Melotte (1880-1961) 1900-1948 Assistant

Reference sources:
W. H. McCrea, The Royal Greenwich Observatory, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1975.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Sharp, Hodgson, Mason, Green, Brinkley, Richardson, Hind, Glaisher, Dunkin, Downing, Crommelin, Maunder).
H. P. Hollis, The Observatory, vol. 48, no. 619, pp. 388-398, 1926 (ADS scan).
H. P. Hollis, The Observatory, vol. 49, no. 630, pp. 330-333, 1926 (ADS scan).
M. Croarken, Astronomical labourers: Maskelyne's assistants at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1765-1811, Notes and Records of the Royal Society, vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 285-298, 2003.
Obituary of Lynn, M.N.R.A.S., 72, 249, 1912.
Obituaries of Dunkin, M.N.R.A.S, 59, 221, 1899; The Observatory, 22, 49, 1899.
Obituary of Melotte, Q.J.R.A.S., 3, 48, 1962.
Obituaries of Lewis, M.N.R.A.S., 94, 284, 1934; P.A.S.P., 39, 330, 1927; biographical article by D. Wright in J.B.A.A., 102, 95, 1992.
Obituaries of Crommelin, M.N.R.A.S., 100, 234, 1940; The Observatory, 63, 11, 1940.
Obituaries of Hollis, M.N.R.A.S., 100, 249, 1940; The Observatory, 62, 297, 1939.

Posts associated with the Royal Observatory Edinburgh

Astronomer Royal for Scotland: 1834-1990

From 1834 to 1990 the title was combined with the position of Regius professor The title Astronomer Royal for Scotland was given to the director of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh until 1990, based initially at the observatory on Calton Hill and later at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh. The post was combined with that of the Regius professor of astronomy in the University of Edinburgh from 1834 to 1990: see below for fuller details of the Regius Chair at Edinburgh.

After 1990 the title Astronomer Royal for Scotland became an honorary position not associated with the Royal Observatory.

See below for a list of holder of the honorary title Astronomer Royal of Scotland from 1990.

Holder of office Dates in office

Thomas Henderson, FRS (1798-1844) 1834-1844

Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819-1900) 1845-1888

Ralph Copeland (1837-1905) 1889-1905

Frank Watson Dyson (1868-1939) 1905-1910

Ralph Allen Sampson, FRS, FRSE (1866-1939) 1910-1937

William Michael Herbert Greaves, FRSE (1897-1955) 1938-1955

Hermann Alexander Brück, FRSE (1905-2000) 1957-1975

Vincent Cartledge Reddish 1975-1980

Malcolm Sim Longair 1980-1990

Further information about holders of the title Astronomer Royal for Scotland is available at the website of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.

Reference sources:
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Henderson, Smyth, Copeland, Dyson, Sampson, Greaves).
Obituary of T. Henderson, M.N.R.A.S., 6, 159, 1845.
M. Wilson, Ninth Astronomer Royal: The Life of Frank Watson Dyson, publ. W. Heffer & sons Ltd., Cambridge, 1951.
Obituary of H. A. Brück, Astronomy & Geophysics, 41, 35, 2000.

Further information can be found at

the website of the Library of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh;

Prof. John Brown's account of the office of Astronomer Royal for Scotland.

Recent Management of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh

The Astronomer Royal for Scotland held the directorship of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh until 1990. Following reorganisation of the Royal Observatories by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council and the closure of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in 1998, technological support was rationalised in the Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh. The Astronomy Technology Centre and the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Edinburgh today together form the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, with the overall operation of the institution under the aupices of the University of Edinburgh.

Holders of Honorary Astronomer Royal Titles

In 1972 the title Astronomer Royal was disconnected from the position of Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory: the Astronomer Royal had been director of the Observatory from the origin of the title.

The title Astronomer Royal for Scotland was disconnected from the position of Director of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh in 1990.

The two positions became titles without any administrative roles.

Astronomer Royal (Astronomer Royal for England), 1972-present

Holder of office Dates in office

Sir Martin Ryle (1918-1984) 1972-1982

Sir Francis Graham Smith 1982-1990

Sir Arnold Wolfendale 1990-1995

Martin Rees, Lord Rees of Ludlow 1995-present

Astronomer Royal for Scotland: 1995-present

Holder of office Dates in office

John Campbell Brown, FRSE 1995-present

Prof. Brown was appointed Astronomer Royal for Scotland whilst Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Glasgow. Since 1996 he has been Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Glasgow.

Further information can be found at

the website of the Library of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh;

Prof. John Brown's account of the office of Astronomer Royal for Scotland.

Royal Astronomer of Ireland ("Astronomer Royal for Ireland") and Andrews' Professor of Astronomy at Trinity College Dublin

The first Royal Astronomer of Ireland was appointed in 1792. The post was combined with the position of Director of the Dunsink Obervatory, Dublin, and the Andrews' Chair of Astronomy at Trinity College Dublin. The post existed between 1792 and 1921: no replacement post was established by the Irish Free State in 1921.

The position was sometimes called "Astronomer Royal for Ireland", adopting the title as a parallel to the that of the Astronomer Royal for Scotland. This alternative form was even used occasionally by holders of the post in formal contexts. For example, Franz Brünnow described himself in the Dunsink Observatory publications of 1870 as the Astronomer Royal for Ireland, rather than Royal Astronomer of Ireland. However, the title Royal Astronomer of Ireland is more correct.

The holders of the position are listed here, but we first list the Andrews' Chair of Astronomy at Trinity College Dublin:

Andrews' Professor of Astronomy (to 1792)

Holder of office Dates in office

Rev. Henry Ussher (1741-1790) 1783-1790

John Brinkley (1766/1767-1835) 1790-1827

Royal Astronomer of Ireland (Astronomer Royal for Ireland) and Andrews' Chair of Astronomy (1792-1921)

Holder of office Dates in office

John Brinkley (1766/1767-1835) 1792-1827

Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865) 1827-1865

Franz Friedrich Ernst Brünnow (1821-1891) 1865-1874

Sir Robert Stawell Ball, FRS (1840-1913) 1874-1892

Arthur Alcock Rambaut, FRS (1859-1923) 1892-1897

Charles Jasper Joly, FRS (1864-1906) 1897-1906

Edmund Taylor Whittaker, FRS (1873-1956) 1906-1912

Henry Crozier Keating Plummer, FRS (1875-1946) 1912-1921

Dunsink Observatory was founded in 1785. Active research continued until 1936. The Observatory was temporarily closed until 1946.

(Charles Martin served as acting director of the Dunsink Observatory from 1921 to his death in 1936 when the observatory was temporarily shut as a research institution.)

The Dunsink Observatory was reopened in 1946 when the ownership transferred from Trinity College, Dublin, to the School of Cosmic Physics of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, on an initiative by the Irish Government. Herman Brück (1905-2000) served as the Director, 1947-1957, and Hugh Butler as Chief Assistant, 1947-1953.

Reference sources:
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Ussher, Brinkley, Hamilton, Ball, Rambaut, Joly, Whittaker, Plummer).
P. A. Wayman, Irish A.J., 19, 119, 1990 (biographical article about Brünnow).
Obituary of Hamilton, M.N.R.A.S., 26, 109-118, 1866.
W. M. Smart, obituary of Plummer, M.N.R.A.S., 107, 56-59, 1947.
H. A. Brück, M.N.R.A.S., 108, 69, 1948 [about the reopening of the Dunsink Observatory].
H. A. Brück, obituary of Hugh Butler, Q.J.R.A.S., 20, 221, 1979.

Acknowledgements:
Dr. Ian Elliott is thanked for providing useful information.

Reinstatement of the Andrews' Professor of Astronomy

The Andrews' Chair has recently been reinstated as an honorary title. Prof. Luke Drury is the current holder of the position.

Reference sources:
Ian Elliott, personal communication, 2005.

Superintendent of His/Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office

Holder of office Dates in office

Thomas Young (1773-1829) 1818-1829

John Pond (1767-1836) 1829-1831

William Samuel Stratford, Lieutenant R.N. (1790-1853) 1831-1853

John Russell Hind (1823-1895) 1853-1891

Arthur Matthew Weld Downing (1850-1917) 1892-1910

Philip Herbert Cowell (1870-1949) 1910-1930

Leslie John Comrie (1893-1950) 1931-1936

Donald Harry Sadler (1908-1987) 1937-1970

George A. Wilkins 1970-1989

Bernard D. Yallop 1989-1996

The post was replaced in 1996 with that of Head of H.M. Nautical Almanac Office.

Further details are available at the website of the Nautical Almanac Office.

Reference sources:
A. J. Meadows, Greenwich Observatory, Volume 2: Recent History (1836-1975), publ. Taylor & Francis, London, 1975, Appendix 1.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Young, Pond, Stratford, Hind, Downing, Cowell, Comrie, Sadler).

His/Her Majesty's Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope

The British government committed itself in 1820 to establishing an observatory at the Cape of Good Hope to survey the southern skies. The observatory, constructed in the 1820s, was initially managed by the Director of the Royal Cape Observatory, and the formal title His/Her Majesty's Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope was conferred on the post in the 1850s.

The post was maintained by the British government as a fundamental part of British scientific activities. Therefore, despite being an overseas position, it deserves a position in this list of British and Irish posts.

Holder of office Dates in office

Rev. Fearon Fallows (1788-1831) 1821-1831

Thomas Henderson (1798-1844) 1831-1833

Sir Thomas Maclear (1794-1879) 1833-1870

Edward James Stone, FRS (1831-1897) 1870-1878

Sir David Gill (1843-1914) 1879-1907

Sydney Samuel Hough, FRS (1870-1923) 1907-1923

Harold Spencer Jones, FRS (1890-1960) 1923-1933

John Jackson, FRS (1887-1958) 1933-1950

Richard Hugh Stoy (1910-1994) 1950-1968

The Royal Observatory at the Cape was amalgamated with other institutions to form the South African Astronomical Observatory at Sutherland in 1972. George Harding was the officer in charge of the Royal Observatory during the amalgamation process.

Further information can be found at the website of the South African Astronomical Observatory.

Reference sources:
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Fallows, Henderson, Maclear, Stone, Gill, Spencer Jones, Jackson).
Obituary of S. S. Hough, M.N.R.A.S., 84, 216, 1924.

Armagh Observatory

Director of the Armagh Observatory:

Holder of office Dates in office

James Archibald Hamilton (1745-1815) 1790-1815

William Davenport (1782-1823) 1815-1823

John Thomas Romney Robinson (1793-1882) 1823-1882

John Louis Emil Dreyer (1852-1926) 1882-1916

Joseph Alfred Hardcastle (1868-1917) 1917 *

William Frederick Archdall Ellison (1864-1936) 1918-1936

Eric Mervyn Lindsay (1907-1974) 1937-1974

Mart de Groot 1976-1994

Mark Bailey 1994-present

* Alfred Hardcastle died shortly after his appointment, before arriving in Armagh.

Ernst Julius Öpik was Acting Director, 1974-1976.

Further information can be found at the website of the Armagh Observatory.

Reference sources:
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Hamilton, Robinson, Dreyer, Lindsay).
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
Entry for Davenport in the Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics, ed. P. Murdin, publ. Nature Publishing Group, 2000.
Obituary of Hardcastle in M.N.R.A.S., 78, 248, 1918.
Obituary of Ellison in M.N.R.A.S., 97, 266, 1937.

Oxford Positions

Savilian Professor of Astronomy, University of Oxford

Holder of office Dates in office

John Bainbridge (1582-1643) 1620-1643

John Greaves (1602-1652) 1643-1648

Seth Ward, FRS (1617-1689) 1649-1660

Sir Christopher Wren, FRS (1632-1723) 1661-1673

Edward Bernard, FRS (1638-1697) 1673-1691

David Gregory, FRS (1659-1708) 1691-1708

John Caswell (or Carswell) (d.1712) 1708-1712

John Keill, FRS (1671-1721) 1712-1721

Rev. James Bradley, FRS (1692-1762) 1721-1742

Thomas Hornsby, FRS (1733-1810) 1763-1810

Abram Robertson, FRS (1751-1826) 1810-1826

Stephen Peter Rigaud, FRS (1774-1839) 1827-1839

George Henry Sacheverell Johnson, FRS (1808-1881) 1839-1842

William Fishburn Donkin, FRS (1814-1869) 1842-1869

Rev. Charles Pritchard, FRS (1808-1893) 1870-1893

Herbert Hall Turner, FRS (1861-1930) 1893-1930

Harry Hemley Plaskett, FRS (1893-1980) 1932-1960

Donald Eustace Blackwell 1960-1988

George Petros Efstathiou, FRS 1988-1999

Joseph Ivor Silk, FRS 1999-present

A list of the holders of the Savilian Chair of Astronomy can also be found at the MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive.

The Savilian Chair of Astronomy has existed in parallel with the Savilian Chair of Geometry. The Chair of Geometry has been filled by some people who had strong astronomical interests, such as Edmond Halley (between 1704-1742), Nathaniel Bliss (1742-1764), Abraham Robertson (1797-1810) and Stephen Rigaud (1810-1827). A list of the Savilian Professors of Geometry can be found at the MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive.

Reference sources:
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Bainbridge, Greaves, Ward, Wren, Bernard, Gregory, Keill, Bradley, Hornsby, Robertson, Rigaud, Johnson, Donkin, Pritchard, Turner, Plaskett).
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.

Radcliffe Observer

The Radcliffe Observatory was founded in 1772. The responsibility for the observatory had rested with the Savilian professor until the death of S. P. Rigaud in 1839. The position of Radcliffe Observer was created in 1839 when G. H. S. Johnson, who had no astronomical observing experience, was appointed Savilian professor of astronomy.

Holder of office Dates in office

Manuel John Johnson, FRS (1805-1859) 1839-1859

Rev. Robert Main, FRS (1808-1878) 1860-1878

Edward James Stone, FRS (1831-1897) 1879-1897

Arthur Alcock Rambaut, FRS (1859-1923) 1897-1923

Harold Knox-Shaw (1885-1970) 1924-1939

Harold Knox-Shaw became Director of the Radcliffe Observervatory, Pretoria, in 1939 (until 1950), following the relocation of the Radcliffe Observatory from Oxford to South Africa.

Reference sources:
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Johnson, Main, Stone, Rambaut).
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
Obituary of Know-Shaw, Q.J.R.A.S., 12, 197, 1971.

Solar Physics Observatory, London

The Solar Physics Observatory was established at South Kensington, London, in 1885 on a site adjacent to Imperial College. It was relocated in 1913 when the London site was required for redevelopment, with Cambridge controversially being selected as the new site.

Director of the Solar Physics Observatory, London

Holder of office Dates in office

Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer (1836-1920) 1885-1913

Reference sources:
The Observatory, 36, 356, 1913.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (article about Lockyer).

Cambridge Positions

Plumian Professor, University of Cambridge

The Plumian Chair of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy was established at the University of Cambridge in 1707.

Holder of office Dates in office

Roger Cotes (1682-1716) 1707-1716

Robert Smith (1689-1768) 1716-1760

Anthony Shepherd (c.1721-1796) 1760-1796

Samuel Vince (1749-1821) 1796-1821

Robert Woodhouse (1773-1827) 1822-1827

George Biddell Airy (1801-1892) 1828-1835

James Challis (1803-1882) 1836-1882

Sir George Howard Darwin (1845-1912) 1883-1912

Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-1944) 1913-1944

Sir Harold Jeffreys, FRS (1891-1989) 1946-1958

Sir Fred Hoyle, FRS (1915-2001) 1958-1972

Sir Martin Rees, FRS 1973-1991

Richard S. Ellis, FRS 1993-2000

Jeremiah Ostriker 2001-2004

Robert Kennicutt 2005-

Reference sources:
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Cotes, Smith, Shepherd, Vince, Woodhouse, Airy, Challis, Darwin, Eddington, Jeffreys, Hoyle).
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
W. Airy (ed.), The Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy, K.C.B., publ. Cambridge University Press, 1896.
A. V. Douglas, The Life of Arthur Stanley Eddington, publ. Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd., 1956.

Lowndean Professor of Astronomy and Geometry

The Lowndean Chair of Astronomy and Geometry in the University of Cambridge has been occupied mostly by mathematicians, rather than astronomers, and as such a complete listing is beyind the scope of these pages.

Some Lowndean professors who made significant contributions to astronomy were:

Holder of office Dates i n office

John Couch Adams (1819-1892) 1859-1892

Sir Robert Stawell Ball, FRS (1840-1913) 1892-1913

Reference sources:
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.

Similarly, the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge has been filled by people who have contributed significantly to astronomy and cosmology, such as Isaac Newton, Sir George Airy, Charles Babbage and Stephen Hawking. A full list of Lucasian professors of mathematics can be found at the MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive at the University of St Andrews.

Professor of Astrophysics

A chair of astrophysics was established at the University of Cambridge in the early twentieth cenury.

Holder of office Dates i n office

Hugh Frank Newall, FRS (1857-1944) 1909-1928

Frederick John Marrian Stratton, FRS (1881-1960) 1928-1947

Roderick Oliver Redman, FRS (1905-1975) 1947-1970

Donald Lynden-Bell, FRS from 1972

Reference sources:
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Newall, Stratton, Redman).
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.

Director of the Solar Physics Observatory, Cambridge

The Solar Physics Observatory was established at South Kensington, London, in 1885. It was relocated to Cambridge in 1913 when the London site was required for redevelopment.

Holder of office Dates in office

Hugh Frank Newall, FRS (1857-1944) 1913-1928

Frederick John Marrian Stratton, FRS (1881-1960) 1928-1947

Roderick Oliver Redman, FRS (1905-1975) 1947-1970

Reference sources:
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (Newall, Stratton, Redman).
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.

University of Edinburgh

Regius Professor of Astronomy

The Regius Chair of Astronomy was founded in 1785. Between 1834 and 1990 it was combined with the position of Astronomer Royal for Scotland, listed above. The full list of holders of the Regius Chair is presented here, repeating the Astronomer Royal for Scotland given above.

Holder of office Dates in office

Robert Blair, FRSE (1748-1828) 1785-1828

Thomas Henderson, FRS, FRSE (1798-1844) 1834-1844 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Charles Piazzi Smyth, FRSE (1819-1900) 1845-1888 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Ralph Copeland, FRSE (1837-1905) 1889-1905 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Sir Frank Watson Dyson, FRS, FRSE (1868-1939) 1905-1910 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Ralph Allen Sampson, FRS, FRSE (1866-1939) 1910-1937 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

William Michael Herbert Greaves, FRSE (1897-1955) 1938-1955 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Hermann Alexander Brück, FRSE (1905-2000) 1957-1975 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Vincent Cartledge Reddish 1975-1980 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Malcolm Sim Longair 1980-1990 Also Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Andrew Lawrence 1994-present

Reference sources:
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Blair, Henderson, Smyth, Copeland, Dyson, Sampson, Greaves).
Obituary of T. Henderson, M.N.R.A.S., 6, 159, 1845.
M. Wilson, Ninth Astronomer Royal: The Life of Frank Watson Dyson, publ. W. Heffer & sons Ltd., Cambridge, 1951.
Obituary of H. A. Brück, Astronomy & Geophysics, 41, 35, 2000.

University of Glasgow

Regius Professor of Astronomy (previously Regius Professor of Practical Astronomy)

The Regius Chair of Practical Astronomy was founded in 1760. Its title was changed to the Regius Chair of Astronomy in 1893.

Holder of office Dates in office

Alexander Wilson, FRSE (1714-1786) 1760-1784

Patrick Wilson, FRSE (1743-1811) 1784-1799

William Meikleham (1771-1846) 1799-1803

James Couper (c.1752-1836) 1803-1836

John Pringle Nichol, FRSE (1804-1859) 1836-1859

Robert Grant, FRS (1814-1892) 1860-1892

Ludwig Wilhelm Emil Ernst Becker, FRSE (1860-1947) 1893-1935

William Marshall Smart, FRSE (1889-1975) 1937-1959

Peter Alan Sweet, FRSE (1921-2005) 1959-1996

John Campbell Brown, FRSE 1996-present

Prof. Brown was previously Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Glasgow, and since 1995 has also been Astronomer Royal for Scotland (see above).

Reference sources:
J. B. Hay, Inaugural Addresses by Lords Rectors of the University of Glasgow; to which are prefixed, an Historical Sketch and Account of the Present State of the University, publ. David Robertson, Glasgow, 1839, pp. xliv-xlvii & p. 176. (A scanned copy is available at the Google Books resource.)
M. Moss, M. Rankin and L. Richmond, Who, Where and When: the History and Constitution of the University of Glasgow, publ. University of Glasgow, 2001.
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Alexander Wilson, with a note about his son Patrick Wilson who succeeded him; for Nichol (with a note about Meikleham); for Grant).
Obituary of Grant, M.N.R.A.S., 53, 20, 1893 (ADS scan)
Obituary of Becker, M.N.R.A.S., 108, 41, 1948.
Obituary of Smart, Q.J.R.A.S., 18, 140, 1977.
List of deceased Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh ( http://www.ma.hw.ac.uk/RSE/fellowship/all_fellows.pdf), Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2002.
Information for William Meikleham from the catalogue of the archives of the University of Glasgow.

Liverpool Observatory / Bidston Observatory

The Liverpool Observatory was opened on Waterloo Dock, Liverpool, in 1845 by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board; it was relocated to Bidston Hill, Wirral, in 1863. The emphasis switched from astronomy to tidal and oceanographic research in the early 20th century, and astronomical activities were discontinued.

Director

The directors of the Liverpool / Bidston Observatory who specialised in astronomy (rather than meteorology or oceanography) were the following.

Holder of office Dates in office

John Chapman Hartnup (1806-1885) 1843-1885

John Hartnup (1841-1892) 1885-1892

William Edward Plummer (1849-1928) 1892-1928

University of Durham

Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy

A chair of Mathematics and Astronomy existed at the University of Durham between 1841-1871 and again between 1908-1912. At other times the chair took the title of Mathematics alone. The professor took overall responsibility for the university observatory, with daily work being carried out by an Observer.

The three holder of the chair of Mathematics and Astronomy were:

Holder of office Dates in office

Rev. Temple Chevallier (1794-1873) 1841-1871

Ralph Allen Sampson, FRS, FRSE (1866-1939) 1908-1910

Percy John Heawood (1861-1955) 1911-1912

The Chair of Mathematics and Astronomy effectively existed through a temporary renaming of the Chair of Mathematics. R. J. Pearce, Professor of Mathematics, held overall responsibility for the observatory from 1871 to 1895. R. A. Sampson was appointed Professor of Mathematics in 1896, taking the restored title Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy in 1908. The Chair reverted to Mathematics in 1912 when Heawood was the incumbent.

Observer

Holder of office Dates in office

Rev. Temple Chevallier (1794-1873) 1840-1841

T. S. Brown 1841-1843

A. Beanlands 1843-1847

Rev. Robert Anchor Thompson 1847-1849

Richard Christopher Carrington (1826-1875) 1849-1852

William Ellis (1828-1916) 1852-1853

George Friedrich Wilhelm Rümker (1832-1900) 1853-1855

Albert Marth (1828-1897) 1855-1863

E. G. Marshall 1863-1866

M. R. Dolman 1866-1868

J. I. Plummer 1868-1875

G. A. Goldney 1875-1886

Henry James Carpenter (1850-1899) 1886-1899

F. C. H. Carpenter 1899-1919

Frank Sargent 1919-1939

Honorary Director of the Observatory

An Honorary Director of the Observatory existed in the early twentieth century to carry out the management of the institution.

Holder of office Dates in office

Edmond Herbert Grove-Hills, FRS (1864-1922) 1913-1923

Harold Thomson (1874-1962) 1923-1930

Reference sources:
G. D. Rochester, The History of Astronomy in the University of Durham from 1835 to 1939, Q.J.R.A.S., 21, 369, 1990.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Chevallier, Ellis, Marth, Sampson and Grove-Hills).
Obituary of Chevallier, M.N.R.A.S., 34, 137, 1874.
J. L. E. Dreyer & H. H. Turner, eds., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1820-1920, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1923.
Obituary of Carrington, M.N.R.A.S., 36, 137, 1876.
Obituary of Rümker, The Observatory, 23, 183, 1900.
Obituary note for Carpenter, The Observatory, 23, 68, 1900.
Obituary of Ellis, The Observatory, 40, 90-93, 1917.
Obituary of H. Thomson, Q.J.R.A.S., 4, 255, 1963.
R. J. Tayler, ed., History of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 2, 1920-1980, publ. Royal Astronomical Society, London, 1987.
MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, University of St. Andrews (about Heawood).

Stonyhurst College Observatory

Stonyhurst College, located in the Ribble Valley between Clitheroe and Blackburn in Lancashire, was (and remains) an important Catholic educational establishment. It served as a boarding school providing a general education to boys, and also as a college training men for the priesthood.

The college included an Observatory, founded in 1838 for meteorological, seismological and astronomical work. Significant astronomical research was carried out there in the second half of the nineteenth century, particularly under the direction of Father Stephen Perry. Its specialisms included monitoring the Sun. The Observatory closed as a research institution in December 1947.

The Directors of Stonyhurst Observatory included:

Holder of office Dates in office

Alfred Weld, Father, S.J. (1823-1890) 1848-1851;1857-1860

Stephen Joseph Perry, Father, S.J. (1833-1889) 1860-1863;1868-1889

Walter Sidgreaves, Father, S.J. (1837-1919) 1863-1868;1889-1919

Aloysius Laurence Cortie, Father, S.J. (1859-1925) 1919-1925

Edward D. O'Connor (1874-1954) 1925-1932

James Peter Rowland, Father, S.J. (1875-1948) 1932-1947

Reference sources:
A. Udías, Serving God and Science, Astronomy and Geophysics, 42, 2.23, 2001 [concerning Jesuit members of the Royal Astronomical Society].
Observatory annual reports in M.N.R.A.S., 1919-1947.
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Perry and Sidgreaves).
J. P. Rowland, M.N.R.A.S., 108, 69, 1948 (about the closure of the Observatory as a research institution).
Obituary of Weld, M.N.R.A.S., 51, 198, 1891.
H. H. Turner, obituary of Cortie, M.N.R.A.S., 86, 175, 1926.
P. J. Treanor, obituary of O'Connor, M.N.R.A.S., 115, 129, 1955.
P. J. Treanor, obituary of Rowland, M.N.R.A.S., 109, 149, 1949.
Obituary of Rowland, Obs., 69, 61, 1949.

Professor of Astronomy, Gresham College, City of London

Sir Thomas Gresham (c.1518-1579) endowed funds to establish Gresham College in the City of London, including chairs in Astronomy, Divinity, Geometry, Law, Music, Physic (medicine) and Rhetoric. The College and chairs came into being on the death of Gresham's wife in 1596. The professors had the responsibility to give public lectures, but the College did not have students and therefore there were not normal teaching duties.

Some Gresham professors were leading figures in astronomy such as W. H. Steavenson, Sir Martin Ryle and Roger Tayler. Some others have been less notable. A few, such as William Romaine and William Cockayne, made no contribution to astronomy or science of any note whatsoever: the reason for their appointment to the post is obscure.

The Gresham professor has been strongly associated with a public education role. In recent decades people have been appointed to the title in recognition of their abilities in lecturing to a broad audience as well as their eminent standing in their field. The post today involves giving a series of six public lectures a year in London, and participating in other popular educational activities. The chair today covers "astronomy (and other physical sciences)". Position holders are now appointed for four-year terms.

The holders of the Gresham Chair of Astronomy have been:

Holder of office Dates in office

Edward Brerewood (c.1565-1613) 1596-1613

Thomas Williams 1613-1620

Edmund Gunter (1581-1626) 1620-1626

Henry Gellibrand (1597-1637) 1627-1636

Samuel Foster (c.1600-1652) 1636-1636

Mungo Murray (1599-1670) 1637-1641

Samuel Foster (c.1600-1652) 1641-1652

Laurence Rooke (c.1619-1662) 1652-1657

Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) 1657-1660

Walter Pope (c.1627-1714) 1660-1687

Daniel Man 1687-1691

Alexander Torriano (1667-1717) 1691-1713

John Machin (c.1686-1751) 1713-1751

William Romaine (1714-1795) 1751-1752

William Cockayne (1717-1798) 1752-1795

Peter Sandiford 1795-1833

Joseph Pullen 1833-1875

Edmund Ledger (1841-1913) 1875-1908

Samuel Arthur Saunder (1852-1912) 1908-1912

Arthur Robert Hinks (1873-1945) 1913-1941

William Herbert Steavenson (1894-1975) 1946-1964

Sir John Carroll (1899-1974) 1964-1968

Sir Martin Ryle (1918-1984) 1968-1969

Roger John Tayler (1929-1997) 1969-1975

Sir Martin Rees 1975-1976

David W Dewhirst 1976-1980

Michael Rowan-Robinson 1981-1982

Andrew C. Fabian 1982-1984

Raymond Hide 1984-1990

George Porter, Lord Porter of Luddenham (1920-2002) 1990-1993

Heather Couper 1993-1996

Colin Pillinger 1996-2000

Frank Close 2000-2003

John D. Barrow 2003-2007

Reference sources:
The old website of Gresham College (no longer available at that site, but a copy is available on the Internet Archive), where a full list of past professors was given.
David Hughson, London; Being an Accurate History and Description of the British Metropolis and its Neighbourhood, to Thirty Miles Extent, from an Actual Perambulation, Vol. 2, publ. J. Stratford, London, 1805: see pages 437 to 445.
A Brief Memoir of Sir Thomas Gresham; with an Abstract of his Will, and of the Act of Parliament, for the Foundation and Government of Gresham College, published by J. F. and G. Rivington, London, 1833 (no author given). (A scanned copy is available at the Google Books resource.)
Individual entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (for Brerewood, Gunter, Gellibrand, Foster, Rooke, Wren, Pope, Machin, Romaine, Cockayne, Hinks, Ryle and Tayler). (There is also information on Williams in the ODNB article on Edmund Gunter; on Murray in the article on Samuel Foster; on Pullen in the article about E. S. Shuckburgh).
Information on Mungo Murray at the University of St. Andrews Library web page about the Murray Collection.
Information on the Royal Society membership of Torriano and Lord Porter at the Royal Society Library and Archives.
Obituaries of Ledger (M.N.R.A.S., 74, 276, 1914), Saunder (M.N.R.A.S., 73, 214, 1913), Steavenson (Q.J.R.A.S., 18, 147, 1977) and Carroll (Q.J.R.A.S., 16, 100, 1975).

Acknowledgements:
Prof. Barrow is thanked for clarifying the current responsibilities of the Gresham professor.

Abbreviations

The following abbreviations have been used:

M.N.R.A.S. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Q.J.R.A.S. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society

Obs. The Observatory magazine

FRS Fellow of the Royal Society [with possible biographical and obituary information]

FRSE Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh [with possible biographical and obituary information in the Society's publications]

P.A.S.P. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

J.B.A.A. Journal of the British Astronomical Association

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SOME HISTORICAL ASTRONOMICAL POSTS IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND